Backpacking in Ecuador was one of the best decisions we made during our South America trip. Sadly, this small country often gets cut out of itineraries. Don’t miss out on the incredible beauty of Ecuador! We spent a month exploring Quito, the Quilotoa Loop, the Galapagos Islands, Banos, and Vilcabamba.
Along the way, we learned some entirely unhelpful things and made a lot of completely useless observations. And just for you, dear reader, we put together the most important things (and also the most totally irrelevant) that we learned while backpacking in Ecuador.
Psst: Planning a trip to Ecuador? We’ve got a bunch of useful resources to help you plan your trip!
- Backpacking Ecuador: Itinerary for 1 Incredible Month
- How to Visit The Galapagos Islands Without a Cruise: A Complete Guide
- Baños, Ecuador: A Complete Guide to What to Do in Baños
- What to Pack for South America: 32 Backpacking Essentials
- Hiking the Quilotoa Loop in Ecuador: Reverse Route Travel Guide
- There are creepy clown trashcans everywhere. No, we’re serious. WTF is the deal, Ecuador? Why?? These things are beyond terrifying!
- Literally everything in Ecuador is a volcano. Everywhere you look, there’s DJ Khaled’s voice like “Another one!”
- You don’t have to stay in the historical center of Quito when backpacking in Ecuador. There are tons of hostels all over the city. What’s great about Quito – unlike some other capital cities we’ve visited on this trip, lookin’ at you, Bogota – is that it has a convenient and intuitive public transit system, so it’s easy to get around town. That said, even though you don’t have to stay there…
- Spend a day being touristy in Centro Historico Quito. There are a bunch of churches to see, such as the Basilica de Voto Nacional (ideal for Instagram photos!) or the Compañia de Jesus, which is a straight up house of ballerdom made entirely of gold. I’d show you a pic, but I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside (trust me, I tried. One day this blogging gig is going to get me arrested.) If your sightseeing goes into the night and you haven’t been arrested yet, check out La Rhonda! It’s the cutest little street filled with bars, salsa clubs, and restaurants.
- Take the teleferico up to the volcano in Quito. A cozy gondola will take you up to Vulcan Pinchincha, a giant lava-filled mountain casually towering over the city. (Remember how I said everything in Ecuador was volcanoes?) Once up there, you can pose with llamas (AND HUG THEM!!!!) see a panorama of the city, and – if you are less lazy/more in shape than we are – take the long trek up the volcano to peer inside (or throw an evil ring in, or whatever). Be sure to bring a big jacket though. Even though Quito/lava might be warm, high up on the mountain it’s windy and cold.
6. Quito Airport is actually really far from Quito. Factor this in when choosing your arrival time. You can easily take a cab and be in the city in 45 minutes for about $25. I know this sounds expensive, so we looked into other options. The only other way is to take a collectivo for $8 to the bus terminal, then bus for about $3. The whole trip will add about 2 hours, depending on hostel location. So basically if you’re in a pair, you only save three bucks. Honestly, just cab and accept it.
7. The chocolate is phenomenal. And it’s everywhere! You can take tours, see factories, or stuff your face. Our absolute favorite brand is Pacari, especially their salt and nibs bar. Chocolate is one of the must-eat foods in Ecuador!
8. The coffee is not great. There are the odd good shops like Umami in Quito, Arome, and Honey (both in Banos), but for the most part don’t expect much. Or maybe we were just spoiled after Colombia…
9. Drink all of the hot chocolate you can. IDGAF if it’s offered at breakfast, you will drink it and you will love it. It goes without saying, but if the chocolate is amazing, the hot chocolate is amazing. The absolute best hot chocolate we had in Ecuador was at Arome Chocolate in Banos. You can get everything from classic hot chocolate with marshmallows to chocolate with a shot of booze – and everything in between! But the best option they have is the choose your own chocolate bar option. You literally pick ANY chocolate bar from their enormous collection, and they shave the whole bar and turn it into hot chocolate. We now fully understand the meaning of the phrase “like a kid in a candy shop.”
10. Guittig is the gold standard of gas water. “Agua sin gas o con gas” is a phrase that backpackers in South America will be quite familiar with. We used to drink regular boring water, until we tried gas water and got hooked. Some people are addicted to Inca Kola, but we’re fully obsessed with gas water. We once spent 2 days fighting bubbly cravings when we arrived in a town in Peru that was somehow completely out of gas water (aka hell on earth) and realized we’d taken Ecuador for granted. In 4 months we’ve had more brands of gas water than we’d like to admit, and nothing beats Guittig. The water used is from Cotopaxi (which is, you guessed it, a volcano)!
11. Never pass on the llapingachos. These are little fried potato cakes that are essentially cheesy mashed potatoes thrown onto a griddle and served with sauce, and yes, they’re as good as they sound. They’re heavenly. I once ordered a side order of them at a mercado and got a lot of weird looks – apparently they’re usually an accompaniment.
12. Order Sopa de Queso if you find it. Sometimes jokingly referred to as Honeymoon Soup (because it’s cheap and easy to make, and I guess us newlyweds can’t cook for s**t), this bowl of deliciousness is made of chicken broth, melted cheese, potatoes, and pasta. Sounds like college right? I think this is the Ecuadorian answer to cup o’ noodles.
13. Otavalo Market is a fantastic day trip from Quito. You can take a guided tour to see the famous Otovalo Market (like this one) and spend a day exploring this colorful indigenous market. Or, you can DIY your own day trip! It’s easy to grab a bus from the North Terminal. It takes a couple hours on the bus each way, but you will save a decent amount of money. We also suggest going relatively early, since shops start packing up around 4. We left around 10 AM and were fine.
14. A lot of the alpaca products at the Otavalo market are fake. You’d think in an area with so many cuddly and fuzzy alpacas, this wouldn’t be true, but it is. I was lured in by the cheap prices and promises of cuddling up in fluff. Days later, Lia (who studied fashion design in college) gave the sweater a rub and a sniff, and realized it’s mostly acrylic. We’ve been more skeptical throughout South America, and it appears the scarves are usually pretty safe, but sweaters and complex knitted pieces are often fakes. If you can’t master the sniff and feel test, we’ve found that if you show an interest in a product and ask specifically if it’s a mix, they’re more apt to be honest. For instance, “Oooo! Ahhh! It’s so warm! And this is a mix? Wow!” Honestly, if you’re planning on continuing into Peru, just do your alpaca product shopping there.
15. Cotopaxi National Park is a must-see. You can take a day trip to Cotopaxi from Quito that includes a gorgeous hike, like this one, or even horseback riding! Or, if you’ve got time, make a reservation at Secret Garden Cotopaxi, a fantastic hostel/farm right by the foothills of the volcano. Getting there is a combination of buses and cabs, but it’s so worth it! They also have a Secret Garden in Quito, and can shuttle you between them. If you have the money for it, I highly suggest booking the Hobbit Hole. It’s a bedroom built into a hill with a Shire style door that looks right out to Cotopaxi!
16. Hike the Quilotoa Loop, but use the regular route. You might hear there is an easy and a hard route. The “hard route” is the more popular route. Make no mistake…they’re both hard. We did the less popular route (starting in Quilotoa) and regretted it. The problem is the hardest day is between Chugchilan and Quilotoa, so if you save that until the end (the popular way), you can recover. If you did it our way, you have no recovery time, and you have to keep going on sore (or injured, in our case) legs.
17. Stay at Llullu Llama Hostel, even if you don’t do the Quilotoa Loop. The tiny town of Isinlivi is typically only traveled to for two reasons: it’s a stop on the Quilotoa loop, and it’s home to the amazing Llullu Llama hostel. And you know what? This was one of our favorite hostels not just while backpacking in Ecuador, but for all of South America! The food is great, beds are comfy, staff is awesome, the views are breathtaking, the vibe is social but relaxed, and they have two of the best hostel animals we’ve met in all of South America. Spend a day of relaxation next to the fire, or outside playing with Baloo or Tito, their pet St. Bernard and llama, respectively (and yes, they’re friends.)
18. Visit the Galapagos Islands! We’ve heard a lot of travelers say they thought long and hard about it, only to decide it was too much money. Do not make that mistake. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You can actually do it relatively cheap by not doing a cruise: it cost us $800 each for a week. Oh and look, we have a post about that! You can also do an extended stay by teaching English. There is a huge demand for English teachers on the islands because every tour guide and hostel owner needs to have some experience in English. We met a couple of people doing 3-5 months in paradise! So jeal. The Galapagos is a must-do when backpacking in Ecuador! But hey, if you can’t make it to the Galapagos, at least check out the Isla de Plata off the coast of Montanita, another place where you can spot the ridiculously unmajestic Blue Footed Boobies in all of their silly glory.
19. Spend plenty of time in Banos. It’s the adventure capital of Ecuador. As you walk down any street in this beautiful town, you’ll come across countless tour companies offering things like buggy rentals, ziplining, canyoning, rafting, bungee jumping, mountain biking, and more. There’s also a LOT of massage and spa places for the less adventurous (Lia). The town itself is built on thermal baths (hence the funny name… but don’t worry, they’re in the joke. You can get t-shirts that say “I <3 Banos.”), and the public thermal baths are the best we’ve ever been to! We spent a week here and it wasn’t nearly enough.
20. Go to Guayaquil for chocolate farm tours. We loved all of the chocolate in Ecuador and were excited to find a farm to tour. Unfortunately, they’re all located around Guayaquil, and that wasn’t on our itinerary. If farm tours are your thing, be sure to make it that way. Luckily, a lot of people go by Guayaquil because it’s on the coast, which brings me to…
21. The party is on the coast, peace, and quiet is inland. We were asked time and again if we were heading to Montanita, a little beach side surfing and party town just north of Guayaquil. People work their way west after Banos, and party on the coast as they head south into Peru. Some people, like us, opt for the inland route before crossing the border into Peru. We went to Cuenca then Vilcabamba. These are quieter towns that are still charming, but definitely not for partying. So it’s up to you.
22. The biggest reason to go to Vilcabamba is Hosteria Izhcayluma, an awesome ex-pat owned yoga and spa retreat. The dorms are a bargain and there’s free yoga every morning. You need a reservation early, but it’s worth it!
23. The center of the world is not the center of the world. Don’t be duped into “Be on two hemispheres at once” tours. Just like Four Corners in the US, it’s just an arbitrary park with a plaque. You could photoshop yourself reaching across to another hemisphere for essentially the same effect. Also, the place where they take you isn’t even the actual spot on the map …
24. Try to be familiar with driving directions, because most cabs are on meters. When we were Latacunga, our cab driver took unnecessary turns through the exhaust smelling labyrinth city (our least favorite location in Ecuador, btw). The meters tick up by the distance, so our fare was going up and up. I didn’t realize we paid too much until our next cab took us near the bus station and it was way cheaper.
25. Don’t stay for long in Latacunga. You have to stop in Latacunga if you’re doing the Quilotoa Loop, but it kinda sucks. It smells like exhaust, everyone is honking constantly, and other than a great mercado, we didn’t find anything much to do in the actual city. We stayed at Hostel Tiana, which we don’t recommend. Most backpackers hiking Quilotoa Loop that Hostel Tiana is the best option to stay before and after. They say this because of the bag storage – for a fee, you can stash your stuff while you hike the Quilotoa Loop. However, here are some problems with Tiana: there’s no hot water, there are no lockers in the dorm rooms, one dorm was accurately described to us as “the dungeon”, and the desk staff misplaced our reservation even though we watched them write it down – and then gave us attitude about booking last-minute. There are other hostels in Latacunga, but frankly, we don’t know if they’re any better, either.
26. The coast is the most popular (sometimes dangerous) Peru border crossing, and inland is the road less traveled (read about it here). Both are accessible from Vilcabamba. The La Balsa border crossing takes several days and routes you through some less-than-exciting parts of Peru, but it is supposedly much safer. I’m not sure which one we’d choose if we had to go back and do it again, honestly.
27. The buses are uncomfortable. Unlike its neighbor Peru, Ecuador has a “take it or leave it” attitude about the bus you take. The seats are cramped with no leg room, and you’ll be thrown from side to side. But, you might luck out and get a movie in English. And…
28. The bus rides are short and cheap. Ecuador is tiny. So if you’re trying to see several towns, don’t fret about travel. The longest bus we took was about 3 hours.
29. Even though Ecuador uses USD, the coins are unique to the country and therefore useless outside of Ecuador. What’s more is they love using 50 cent or $1 pieces. We came in with some cash from home, and left with change that is pointless past the border.
30. Ecuadorians have tremendous national pride. Despite it being a beautiful country rich with incredible experiences and places to visit, backpacking in Ecuador is often overlooked next to its more frequently traveled neighbors: Colombia is experiencing an incredible time of peace and prosperity, Peru and Chile bring trekkers, and Brazil and Argentina have always been the stars of South America. It’s tough being a small country so close to those giants. But the country is getting some well-deserved attention as more people realize the joy in backpacking in Ecuador. While it’s small, Ecuador has beaches, the Amazon, the Andes, and the Galapagos to offer. And the people here love their country! I went canyoning in Banos, and the guide made us hold the Ecuadorian flag while we slid down waterfalls or ran through the canyon. When you pose for a picture in America, we say “Cheese.” In most of South America, you say “Whiskey.” In Ecuador, you say “Viva Ecuador!” The traditions, the pride, and the love for Ecuador are shown throughout every town and city. It’s truly fantastic.
Psst: Planning a trip to Ecuador? We’ve got a bunch of useful resources to help you plan your trip!
- Backpacking Ecuador: Itinerary for 1 Incredible Month
- How to Visit The Galapagos Islands Without a Cruise: A Complete Guide
- Baños, Ecuador: A Complete Guide to What to Do in Baños
- What to Pack for South America: 32 Backpacking Essentials
- Hiking the Quilotoa Loop in Ecuador: Reverse Route Travel Guide
Have you ever gone backpacking in Ecuador? Did some of these ring true for you? Let us know in the comments!
FOLLOW US!
Hey, if you found this post informative or entertaining, would you mind sharing it on Pinterest? We appreciate it!
Our Top Travel Tips & Resources
- Booking Flights: To score flight deals, search on Google Flights or Kayak. Money-saving tips: fly mid-week or on the weekend; fly carry-on only on a budget airline; and take red-eyes or early morning flights.
- Accommodations: We usually stay in budget-friendly vacation rentals, boutique hotels or private rooms in hostels. We use Booking.com to book hotels (we love their flexible cancellation policy) and Hostelworld to book hostels (low deposit, easy change/cancellation, and excellent reviews). For vacation rentals, we prefer to book using VRBO because they've got lower fees and better support than Airbnb, and we're not fans of Airbnb's unethical track record. You can also book vacation rentals on Expedia and Hotels.com. We also use TrustedHousesitters as both hosts (for our home and our fur-child) and travelers!
- Travel Insurance: We always, always, ALWAYS buy travel insurance for international trips, and we STRONGLY suggest it - visit our Travel Insurance Guide to find out why. We recommend either World Nomads or SafetyWing for international travel insurance. SafetyWing is one of the few policies that covers Covid-19, and they have excellent monthly policies that are perfect for Digital Nomads and long term travelers!
- Travel Credit Card: We book all of our trips on our favorite travel credit card. Not only do we earn cash back that we can spend on more travel, but the card offers fantastic travel perks like travel insurance, trip delay and cancellation coverage, lost baggage reimbursement, and rental car coverage, which helps protect us on our travels. Learn more here.
- Vaccines & Meds: We use the travel guides on the CDC website to research recommended medications and vaccines for international trips. We always recommend getting every vaccine recommended by the CDC! You can get them at your primary care doctor's office or a walk-in pharmacy.
- Tours: We love booking guided tours, especially food tours and walking tours, to get a local's perspective and a history lesson while sight-seeing! We book our tours using Viator and GetYourGuide.
- Transportation: We use Rome2Rio to figure out how to get from place to place, and book local transportation online using Bookaway wherever we can. When we book a rental car, we use DiscoverCars to compare rental companies and find the best deal.
- Luggage Storage: Whenever we're checking out early or taking advantage of a long layover, we use LuggageHero to safely store our luggage while we're running around. Use the code PRACTICALW for 2 hours of free luggage storage on us.
- VPN Service: A VPN keeps your digital information (like website login details, bank info, etc) safe, even when you're connected to an unsecured network while traveling. Plus, it lets you use Netflix & other streaming sites abroad! We use NordVPN. Use the code WANDERLUSTPROMO when you sign up!
- What to Pack: Here are the travel essentials that we bring on every trip. We also have packing lists for hot weather, cold weather, and many more. Take a look at all of our packing guides!
Elaine Lemer says
Not only do you provide terrific info on Banos, which I want to visit, but your writing and sense of humor is wonderful. I laughed out loud many times reading your stuff. Thank you!
Matti says
The dollar coins are actually from the US you just don’t really see them used here very often. The woman printed on the coin is Sacagawea actually. Anyway I loved this article, I lived in Ecuador for a year and a half but I was there as a missionary and didn’t get to do much touristy stuff so this was a great read, for an upcoming trip I am planning.
Kael says
Okay, so just the mere mention of “Hobbit…” had me reducing our Baños trip to a week so we could fit in two nights at The Secret Garden Cotopaxi. Thanks for all the great tips since I discovered your blog on the way to Cartagena! I am Jekyll & Hyde-ing my way through your blog with my bf by my side, either interrupting him with admonishing sentences that start with “Well, PW says…” or on the other hand, attempting to relay a story of your very much-relatable escapades through my fits of laughter.
Perhaps I fell in love with you guys after reading your bios… I’m also in IT work (UX and BA-type stuff) by day and a huge crafter by night (onto filling up a third scrapbook of adventures of bf and me). Your income statement posts are inspiring for those of us who want to follow in your backpacking – and virtual – footsteps.
Thanks again and hopefully you enjoyed Alberta! Would love to see what you think of Victoria if you make it there one day.
Ursula Stadelman says
Great article with very good information about this amazing country. Always take precaution when you visit for the first time a new country as you can always find bad people.
Me and my husband spent 2 weeks traveling around Ecuador and we met incredible people, the culture, the landscapes are just amazing, we contract a company in Quito called Gulliver Expeditions you can check their website ww.gulliver.com.ec they are very professional and they can organized your trip because there are some parts in Ecuador that you must visit wit tour guides.
Greetings from Germany
Ursula Stadelman
Lia Garcia says
Good to know, thanks for the tip!
Tomas says
Hi there,
we are a family from Belgium, currently travelling throughout South America. We are now in northern Peru, enjoying the coast & nice weather. We are about to cross the border to Ecuador. In Ecuador we would first opt to go to the coast, from Guayaquil to Montanita and Puerto Lopez.
However, after having a look at the weather forecast, I got like a cold shower. Seems that in Oct/Nov, the temperatures look nice but the skies tend to be covered by clouds (= limited amount of sunshine hours).
Is that a correct understanding? Does anyone have a comment or advice on this one?
Thanks for your (quick) response.
T.
Lia Garcia says
I’m not sure, we visited in August. But I don’t think cloudy weather would be a good reason to not visit!
Luci says
Hey,
Found your post really helpful. We are going to Ecuador this week. We have precooked our hotels but haven’t booked any buses yet. Would you suggest prebooking them? Or is there no need?
We’re starting in Quito then going on to Baños followed by 1 night in the hobbit hole (inspired by your post) and then back to Quito for our flight.
Thanks in advance
Luci
Lia Garcia says
Hey Luci, no need to worry about buses yet. You might want to book your buses when you arrive in each city but that’s the earliest you need to think about getting your ticket. I don’t think you’d be able to book online anyway 🙂 That sounds like a great trip!
Laura says
Great post! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m going in 10 days and everything here helped me a lot 🙂
Lia Garcia says
I’m so happy to hear that, Laura! Hope you have an amazing time!
Kimberley says
Thank you so much for this. I am off to Ecuador next month from the UK, I cannot wait and your tips are so helpful. It sounds like you had a fantastic time 🙂
Ivanna Oleas says
Hello, I’m from Ecuador and I just wanted to tell you that I really liked your post but I think you should get a little more informed about the middle of the world thing, there are two.
The first one (and I guess it was the one you went is not the real center of the world) they realized years later they made the monument and the division of the hemispheres. The second one, that is not that far away from the other one, is the real center of the world, you can boston also the museums, balanced the egg in the needle and see how the water change it direction depending on the hemisphere you are and you just have to move some steps.
Another thing, you can found real alpaca stuff, you just have to find the correct place.
On the other hand, I guess you are right about the clown cans, I mean J really don’t know why they are everywhere haha and yes, I am freaking in love with my country.
Thanks for making this post, i loved it.
Lia Garcia says
Thanks for the clarification! We actually didn’t visit either of the middle of the world spots, so we really appreciate some insider info 🙂 Appreciate any help you can give us on finding real alpaca products, too!
lotfi berrada says
Hi this just great.
My wife and have mostly traveled in asia this time we changing the cap to south america.
Is March a good time to see Ecuador?
Thanks for such nice blog.
Lia Garcia says
Yes, it should be! Ecuador is directly on the Equator which means they don’t have much seasonal variety – just slightly rainy and slightly drier. Up in the mountains it’s cool year-round, and on the coast it’s less cool year-round.
Ruby-Chanel says
Holy I laughed my ass off at ‘Everywhere you look, there’s DJ Khaled’s voice like “Another one!” ‘ Thank you so much for this post, going for 3 weeks in April and cant wait 🙂 love your quirky commentary 🙂
Lia Garcia says
I am so glad someone got my reference 😛 Thanks Ruby-Chanel! Have an amazing time in Ecuador!
Viktoria Altman says
Equador is really an amazing place to visit. I was there recently and it was one of the best experience of my life. I am really delighted to read this blog as I have experienced it myself. Thanks for such a wonderful blog.
Joanne says
My husband and I traveled independently to Ecuador in October 1983, our first foreign trip together actually be fore we got married in 1985. Then it was really off the beaten tourist track, but we went to some of the same places you talk about and had many memorable experiences. We called Quito the city of piss and diesel fumes, because of the predominant smells. My first shower in Ecuador I got attacked by a flying showerhead. But we hiked all around the city and up into the mountains and practiced saying “yo soy Cananiadense” during an anti-American demonstration following the US invasion of Granada. We backpacked through steep cow pastures and on rutted cattle trails from a little town called Candelaria to get a view of El Altar, reputed to be the most beautiful mountain in the world, only to see it engulfed by smoke from local herders burning the paramo. We visited the market in Otavalo and hiked around the town. We hiked to the climbers cabin on Cotopaxi but couldn’t stay due to altitude sickness. Still we appreciated the huge scale and grandeur of the amazing mountain. Banos, then as now, was a highlight, but there were no zip-lines then. From there we visited the small jungle town of Misualli on the Rio Nappo. That was our trip in a nutshell. But we didn’t make it too the Galapagos, and we hope to get there this winter!
Lia Garcia says
Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful memories! I absolutely love hearing about how places I’ve been looked years ago, and how much they have changed. I hope you’re able to get to the Galapagos too! If you’ve already fallen in love with Ecuador, the Galapagos will blow you away 🙂
From Quito says
Wonderful post of my amazing country. #23 however is not entirely true. You can go to the equatorial line, there is even a museum where you learn more about the science behind the equatorial line and the phenomena that happen on that line only. The more popular line (yellow line drawn on the floor) was calculated hundreds of years ago before modern technology determined precisely where the middle is, which is only a couple hundred meters away.
Lia Garcia says
Thank you so much for pointing that out! That’s really cool, that the calculation was so close. I’m glad you educated us!
Kari says
Heey! I am from Ecuador and I can say this was a really good post. Glad you like Ecuador, Guitig is amazing and Yeah we have creepy clown trashcans I don’t even know why and I have never thought about it.
Lia says
My favorite thing about the creepy clown trash cans is that apparently nobody in Ecuador has ever stopped twice to think about why there are creepy clown trashcans everywhere 😛 one of life’s greatest unsolved mysteries….
Tom says
Great article. So much sounds familiar about Ecuador and my experience.
One thing you guys can/should probably add: There is AMAZING kitesurfing in Ecuador – in the town of Playa Santa Marianita near Manta and it is a perfect place to relax on the long beach. Nobody ever tells that. I just found it by accident and I love it (already for a month). Best place for the real local experience is a bamboo hostel on the hill overlooking the beach!
Thanks for the great blog post.
Lia says
Omg, I had no idea! We never made it to that area. Totally going back! Thanks for the excellent insight 🙂
Rocio says
Thank you!!! You helped me a lot with my trip decisions.
Lia says
Happy to help!
Bobbie says
Thank you……. Ecuador and Galapagos have been on our bucket list for years and we thought out of our reach. However, you saved the day….. and also offered a solution that is much more like how I prefer to travel. I hate heavily structured tours – need some fun explore time. I am a single mom with 3 kids and we think we are going to try to do this trip this year. I would LOVE to do your entire itinerary…. sadly, have to work. I can’t wait to start planning!
Lia says
I’m the same way! I’m so happy to have been helpful 🙂 You’ll have a BLAST!
Allyson Aleman says
Thank you for writing about my country! Yes, we are really proud of Ecuador… there are some things you missed guys like the coffee shops (I don’t like coffee cause we have chocolate!) that travelers love a lot! I think you really have to come back to Ecuador, and come to Guayaquil! all about Cacao History begins around here! You can contact me anytime you want, I can say I’m an expert Guayaquileña 🙂 I liked your post very much. (Pd: again, come to Guayaquil)
Lia says
Thanks Allyson!! We would love to go back to Ecuador and definitely plan to at some point! You’re definitely not the first person who’s told us we missed out on Guayaquil – we definitely won’t make that mistake next time!
christine says
I stumbled upon your blog while reading about backpacking in Peru (we are going in August) and then wanted to check out what you had to say about Ecuador. I lived in Guayaquil in 2007 and have been back every summer since. I am appreciative of your reference to the Hostel Izhcayluma – I spent a few nights there back in ’07 but never knew the name, and when I clicked on the link saw it was the same spot. It brought back great memories, thank you. : ) I hope you both get a chance to go back to Ecuador again someday and visit Guayaquil and the coast! It’s really special. <3
Lia says
Happy to help spark your memory, Christine! We really want to return and visit Guayaquil. We really think we missed out. Plus Ecuador is awesome and we definitely want to go back again!
Ashley Parks says
Planning a trip to South America next September and was hoping to go to Quito and Banos so this was a great read! Would you safe it was relatively safe? I am planning on traveling solo and I can’t get a good view on Ecuador as far as that goes! Thanks, I am looking forward to reading more of your blog posts!
Lia says
Both felt safe to us, but we are travelling together. I would say that Banos definitely feels quite safe – it’s a smaller town, not a giant city. I wandered through it on my own pretty frequently and was never concerned, even at night. Quito is a very large city, so I would suggest having the same precautions you would when travelling in a large metropolitan area anywhere in the world. But I certainly didn’t feel unsafe at any point during our month in Ecuador!
Francelly says
Hey! I’m from Ecuador and I really enjoy reading this post (I didn’t realized about the creepy clowns until now, I think everyone just ignores them because the have been there forever). I came here because of your “10 Things we wished we did and didn’t pack” which has been useful since I’m traveling next month to Europe (any tips?).
I feel insanely sorry for the bad moments you had to go through, because the look we are giving to the world may not be the best and some people do nothing to change it up. Sadly we don’t realize how important is to be kind and honest and yes, some of our tourism services have a lot of flaws.
Hopefully you will come back anytime because I can’t believe you didn’t visit the coast. It is a must. Further than it is were the party is, it has amazing places to eat for a low price mostly. The seafood is AWESOME. Besides I think people there are a lot more outgoing and relaxed. Specially Manabí, look up for the Los frailes beach there. Also Salinas and Esmeraldas. All the coast actually. Especially after last years’ earthquake, the coast is trying hard to keep economy going through tourism.
Thank you for visiting us, keep traveling the world because you are very inspiring.
Lia says
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Francelly! We would LOVE to return to Ecuador – and we’ll make sure to visit the coast! Thanks for the awesome tips!
As for your trip to Europe … I would say be careful with your bag, because pickpockets are pretty common there. I wear a “bra pocket” with my money and cards under my shirt, and my husband wears a money belt. I think purses are too much of a target! We do have day bags too, but we keep them locked. Something to consider for your travels! I’d also say to bring a very SMALL converter/adapter if you can, because they have weird shaped outlets that don’t fit the really big, bulky adapters. Frankly we had to throw away all of the adapters we bought online before we went and just bought adapters when we arrived! Have a great trip, let us know if there are any questions we can answer for you!
Patricia Izurieta says
I am from Ecuador, and it’s true, we have so much pride for our country :). The middle of the world monument is a few meters away from the actual middle of the world. It’s actually what the natives thought was the middle of the world, and now that it’s GPS’d, they were very close. They have a lot of experiments that they do on the actual middle, it’s very awesome to see
Lia says
That’s interesting, I didn’t realize that it was an educated guess! That’s so impressive that they were able to get it so close.
Brittany Thiessen says
This was a really interesting post to read! I love reading your insightful insider comments about traveling in Ecuador. This country is on my list of places to visit and I am sure this will be helpful for me when I start seriously planning. Thanks for sharing!
Lia says
Thank Brittany! We loved Ecuador and I know you will too 🙂
Frank says
Enjoyed reading this post, great guide to Ecuador and I’ll save it for when we eventually get there.
My boss used to like to talk about fizzy water, comparing the size of the bubbles between Perrier and San Pellegrino.
Anyway, fun and helpful post.
Frank
Lia says
Thanks Frank! Glad you liked the post. Frankly we’ve both become gas water snobs ourselves. And Ecuador still has the BEST agua con gas of anywhere we’ve ever tasted. There’s no comparison. We miss Guittig 🙁
Valeria Correa says
I loved reading this about Guitig! I am Ecuadorean and have lived abroad many years and if there is one thing I still crave when I’m away is Guitig!
Lia says
I totally feel you! I crave it too and I was only there for a month 😛
Meg says
I’ve always wanted to visit Ecuador and this is such a great read! Really appreciate the hints and tips, and my goodness, that hot chocolate does look immense!
Lia says
Ecuador is fantastic! ESPECIALLY the hot chocolate 😀
Heather says
Excellent article! I’m heading to Quito next month and found your information to be so helpful! Thanks!
Lia says
I’m so glad to hear that, Heather! Happy to help! You’ll love Quito 🙂
Vibeke says
Great post. Quito has two really good coffee shops Isveglio and Jervis worth trying.
Lia says
Thank you for this! We’re always on the lookout for good coffee shops. This is super helpful!
Virginia Cross says
The Quito coffee scene has changed considerably in the past few years! There are some very talented coffee growers paired with some expert roasters and baristas. I lived in Quito the first time in 2014-2015, and at that time, there was just Botanica and Jervis (that I knew of), but now there are specialty coffee shops throughout Quito. I second Isveglio and Jervis for sure, and would add Traviesa, Stratto, and Fankor! If this would help, here’s my guide to coffee (January 2019) in Quito: https://www.theamalavidalife.com/2019/02/12-quito-coffee-shops-that-prove.html.
Lia Garcia says
Ooooh well you just gave us several good reasons to go back and visit again 😛 Thanks for that guide!